Ruben Amorim will already be looking ahead to the next game after Man Utd’s win against Crystal Palace, and he’ll be delighted to receive some great news.
Man Utd’s 2-1 win over Crystal Palace, courtesy of a second-half comeback, eases pressure on the club and Ruben Amorim after the deflating loss to Everton.
Joshua Zirkzee and Mason Mount also got confidence from getting on the scoresheet, but the next one is already around the corner.
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United’s away travel continues to West Ham next, and they’ve already received a huge boost for the game.
Lucas Paqueta of West Ham United is shown the red card during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Liverpool at London Stadium on November 30, 2025
Photo by Mark Leech/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
Man Utd’s big boost for West Ham
If facing David Moyes’ Everton was a challenge for this Man Utd squad, then an away trip to West Ham is precisely the kind of game that has a narrow loss written all over it.
Nuno Espirito Santo is starting to get a tune out of the squad with solid foundations, and United know him as a tough opponent from their battles at Nottingham Forest.
Any advantage they can get, United will take it with both hands as they seek to build momentum again during a fixture list that is winnable on paper.
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They just received a huge one in West Ham’s recent game against United’s rivals Liverpool, as the Hammers’ key man Lucas Paqueta saw red mist descend.
Paqueta, who was already on a yellow card in the game, got himself sent off in remarkable circumstances for dissent.
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It means Paqueta will miss United’s visit to West Ham, news that will undoubtedly have Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes grinning.
Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro can control the midfield
Paqueta is exactly the kind of all-action figure in midfield who United’s system has struggled against, because he’s press-resistant, and covers plenty of ground.
United had trouble against James Garner of Everton, while Elliot Anderson ran the show for Forest in their game against United.
It’s clear that the midfield is a pain point for Amorim’s system, so an absence of a key player in the opposition for that position is a huge advantage.
Fernandes and Casemiro might have more space and time on the ball without Paqueta, and their defensive mishaps won’t be punished quite as severely without the Brazilian’s quality on the ball.
United would have been cheering on West Ham to inflict another defeat on Liverpool, but now that it didn’t happen, a weakened Hammers outfit for their own game is the best-case scenario.